Daily Thoughts - 08/28/2014

Daily Thoughts: “God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.” (St. Augustine of Hippo) I was thinking about these words from St. Augustine in terms of our Gospel today (Matthew 24: 42a, 44). Yes, I know that Jesus is focused on the end time, whether it be his final coming or the day that God calls each of us individually. Yes, we need to be awake and ready because not be ready, not being awake has dreadful consequences, (see wailing and grinding of teeth).

However I believe Jesus words of “Stay Awake!” or maybe put another way “Be Ready!” can be looked at another way. Jesus might not be just talking about the end time or the day God calls each of us home, he might also be talking about this moment and what we are missing if we are not awake or ready. What graces? What joys? What blessings? What experiences of God’s presence are we missing if we are not awake, if we are not ready?

It is not always about the negative, about the end time, about wailing and grinding of teeth. It is also about the opportunities we miss each day, each moment of our life because God is trying to give us good things but our hands are too full!

May the spirit of St. Augustine be with you today. Have a great day!

Daily Prayer: O God, to know you is life. To serve You is freedom. To praise you is the soul's joy and delight. Guard us with the power of Your grace here and in all places. Now and at all times, forever. Amen. (Adapted from a prayer by St. Augustine)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “The act of running is simple, one foot in front of the other. The art of becoming a runner is achieved through a new mindset and commitment to change, especially if it’s new to you. It’s tough, challenging, painful, sometimes lonely, regularly uncomfortable and often excruciating…but the rewards are second to none.” (Terry Lander) And so too in the spiritual life…

Daily Blessings: Thursday greetings to all! This is my last full day in Long Beach and what a beautiful day it is! A breeze off the ocean, low humidity, sunny blues skies, what more could I ask for. Tomorrow I begin my journey to St. Louis and another new adventure in the living of life.

I would like to send a shout out to the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the African Province. Today is the 3^rd Anniversary of the beginning of their province. It is an alive and growing province and I would just like to say happy anniversary, many blessings today and into the future. May the spirit of St. Augustine energize and enliven the ministry, the work and the lives of all who call themselves School Sisters of Notre Dame and who serve the people of Africa!

I hope your day has started off well and that you are getting a chance to enjoy the beauty of nature where you are today! My prayer of blessing for all you today is that our Loving God, the giver of all good gifts, will bless you today with hearts that love you, so that by deepening your sense of respect and reverence for yourself you may nurture within yourselves and others only what is good. May God bless you with a watchful care throughout this day so that wherever you go and whatever you do it will be in, and through and with God. May God bring you home safe to those you love that you might celebrate the gift of family, of friendship, of community, of your love so that your sleep will be restful and you will be energized to welcome tomorrow! May God bless you with the spirit of St/ Augustine as you journey through this day! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/27/2014

Daily Thoughts: I might be tempted to make this another day of “Woe” given Jesus “Woe to…” statements that we once again hear in the Gospel but I have decided to focus on something different this morning. I have decided to focus on mothers!

Today is the feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine and Monica is a saint because she was a mother, a mother who cared, a mother who didn’t give up, a mother who didn’t forget. She spent her life praying for her family, asking God to change their hearts so that they might find the presence of God in their lives.

Mothers are unique people. From the very beginning of life they give of themselves totally. They give of themselves physically by creating our first home in this world, the womb. They give of themselves physically by offering us our first nourishment, both inside the womb and outside once we enter the world, so that we can begin to grow into the person God has created us to be. Mother’s give of themselves emotionally caring, nurturing protecting and guiding us as encounter the world around us. And finally mothers give spiritually, holding us always in their prayers, storming heaven, being present to God so that we make out way safely through life.

St. Monica is a wonderful model of motherhood. She never gave up on her family, especially her son. I am sure she had some days of struggle. I am sure she question God at times. I am sure she carry the extra burden that all mothers do, but she never gave up.

In our world we sometimes hear stories of mothers who give up however from my perspective they are few far between given the untold stories of mothers who never give up. On this feast of St. Monica we have the opportunity to offer a prayer of thanks for our own mothers and all mothers. We have to opportunity to offer a prayer for all mothers especially new mothers, young mother, mothers in the midst of raising a family that they will always have the strength to give when no one else seems to give and that they will continue to never give up on us!

And in the spirit of today’s Gospel – “Woe to us all if we don’t give thanks and offer a prayer for mothers today! Have a great “Hump Day” everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Loving God, we pray today through the intercession of St. Monica for all mothers,

grant them the grace to appreciate the dignity, grace and blessing which you have given them as mothers. Help them to realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with the privilege to share in your creative miracle of bringing new life into the world. Bless all mothers today and help them to be good, faithful, caring, nurturing and strong after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the grace of Jesus’ love and the intercession Mary and Monica we ask your continued blessings upon all families. Let mothers and fathers be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: “I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.” (Dean Karnazes)

And so to in the spiritual life…

Daily Blessings: Happy Hump Day and Wednesday blessings to all! I hope your day has started off well and that you have been gifted at least by nature with a beautiful day!

In the spirit of St. Monica whom we honor today a shout out to all mothers that the gift of St. Monica’s spirit will be with you throughout your journey as mothers. And a prayer of thanks to all mothers, both living a deceased for their strength, courage, faithfulness and love!

I pray for God’s blessings upon all of you today that your day will be filled with many positives and that the negatives will only be fleeting moments. May the richness of God’s grace and blessings be upon all you, upon everyone you meet and upon everyone you love! May there be many words, signs and people of encouragement in your life today! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Joy in the Wisdom of God…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/06/2014

It was a long day yesterday but well worth it. I felt my father's presence as I walked through Lourdes yesterday afternoon and evening. I could not help but picture him some seventy plus years ago standing perhaps in the same place I was. He too was making a pilgrimage of sorts at the time. It was the middle of World War II. His thoughts were of getting home safely and starting a family. He asked Mary for her help. He made it home and I was standing here yesterday because of his prayer and his faith.

It was very moving to walk through the streets of Lourdes, to stop and pray near the Grotto. I found myself wandering into the Sacrament of Reconciliation,. I found myself standing amongst many other pilgrimages with tears in my eyes, just feeling very thankful and in the presence of Mary and God!

It was profoundly moving to walk and pray in the candle light procession last night. I ended my long day by making my way back to the Grotto last night around midnight a beautiful and faith filled conclusion to a long day!

We have mass in the Chapel of St. Ann which is located in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception this morning and we tour Lourdes and once again have the afternoon free. 

All of you continue to be in my prayers especially in this holy place. Have a great day everyone and may you be blessed with the richness of God's grace and love as you journey through our day today! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul 

Daily Thoughts - 08/26/2014

Daily Thoughts: We continue the “Woe to you…” challenges of Jesus. He continues to challenge the scribes, Pharisees and us on where our priorities lie. Are concerned with the non-essentials of life are do we have our words and action aligned with God’s priorities? Our lives can look good and by all appearances we seem to be holy people, however inside is always what counts. Where are our hearts? Who or what is the center of our life?

These “Woe to you…” statements of Jesus are strong challenges that are not easy to live out. Often we find ourselves comfortable in our nice, neat little worlds. We say all the right things. The outward expression of our faith seems to be spot on however if we look under the hood there is no life, no spirit, the tank is empty. We have allowed the non-essentials to become more important than the essentials – love of God, others and ourselves.

As we live this day let us strive to live authentically according to the values we profess. Yes, we are human, we have our faults and failings and our weaknesses. But today, let us, with God’s grace, strive to live life faithful to the Gospel. Let us look at our lives today and find those things that at times make us hypocrites and ask forgiveness so that we can grow in the essential of life, so that we can grow in the presence of God!

 Have a great day everyone and don't forget to make a joyful noise today!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, be present today in our world, our culture, our society, our families and in us. Be present within us as a peaceful yet powerful sovereign. Enliven us with the splendor of faith and the love of your tender heart. Guide the actions of our lives so that they will always be good works that offer your present especially to those in need. Impart within us your gentle Spirit so that we all always be alive with the energy of your joy filled presence. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: “The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other,... but to be with each other.” (Christopher McDougall) And the reason we are Church is so that we don’t make the journey alone but we make it together as a community of faith!

Daily Blessing: Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope your day has started off well and that you have the energy and enthusiasm to deal with whatever this day brings to your life!

It is another beautiful morning here in Long Beach, though I cannot enjoy it as much as I would like as I am still limping around but that is one of the prices you pay for getting old and I am making the best with what I can do. I went to the doctor yesterday which turn into a two doctor day. The first doctor nixed my self- diagnosis of a blister and re-diagnosed the issue as a wart and sent me off across town on a sore foot to a podiatrist for further treatment. The podiatrist took one look at my foot and said “blister!” Oh, the joys of modern medicine. He lanced it, covered it and I am to return on Thursday for further treatment! My advice to all is do not get old!

Well enough Fr. Paul sagas for today…My prayer of blessing for all of you today it that God’s blessings will be upon all of you as you go through your day. May God bless all your endeavors, may God be with you in all of your challenges and in all of your struggles. May God bless you with the grace to trust in the presence of God that you carry within you and the courage not to be afraid to share your gift. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/25/2014

Daily Thoughts: “Woe to you….” These statements seem out of character for Jesus, who usually uses positive statement to challenge us. Yet, I guess every once in a while we need to hear what not to do. The challenge of today’s Gospel is on what we see as important. The scribes and Pharisees made it a habit of placing importance on the accidentals of life rather than the essentials. In other words they placed importance on the unimportant.

Through his challenge to the scribes and Pharisees today Jesus asks us to stop and think about how we are living out our faith. Is it a faith grounded in unimportant things or is it a faith ground in a relationship with God? We can think that God is the center but then we make actions, rituals, words and customs far more important than living out our relationship with God. We make things more important than people. We make ritual and places more important than prayer and actions.

Woe to us if we don’t love. Woe to us if we don’t care for those in need. Woe to us if we first don’t find God in others and ourselves. Woe to us if rituals, places and the repetition of words become more important than people. Yes, I guess every once in a while we have to be challenged by the negative that seems to take hold of our lives.

Have a great day everyone and try to make a joyful noise through life today!    

Daily Prayer:

Today, dear Lord, three things we pray

To see you more clearly

Love you more dearly

Follow you more nearly, today!

Today, dear Lord, three things we pray

To see you more clearly

Love you more dearly

Follow you more nearly, everyday!

(Adapted from the lyrics of the Godspell song Day By Day.)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Non-runners may not believe how beneficial running can be, but it's true. Running has rocked people's lives – improving the way they look, the way they feel, the way they think, and the way they look at life.” (Florence Griffith Joyner and John Hanc)

Running can also improved the way we pray and the way we see and understand God in our life!

Daily Blessing: Monday greetings to all! I hope this finds you well today and rested from a weekend that was blessed by some down time with family and friends. My weekend was busy as it should have been but it was certainly life-giving and blessed by God’s presence. The only negative is that somehow I developed a blister on the bottom of my foot and it makes walking a rather painful experience but this too shall pass, I hope!

It seems to be another beautiful day here in Long Beach though with my blister I am unable to walk the boardwalk as usual. But the air seems cool, the sun is out and I can hear the ocean from my room!

I would ask you to keep a longtime friend of mind, Newell, in your prayers. He is struggling mightily at this time and it could be his last struggle in this life. Please keep him and his family in your prayers that they all will be gifted with God’s peace in the midst of struggle today!

And I pray that God will bless all of you on this Monday. For some it is the beginning of a new school year, for others it is the beginning of a new work week, for others it may be the last week of their vacation and for still others it might be the last day of this life. May God’s blessing be upon you wherever you find yourself. May God bless you with the grace you need to live this day and in living this day may you bring God’s presence to all you meet! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul